The Milblog Conference was awesome. By the time all was said and done, I'd met a number of top-notch bloggers....Matt (BlackFive), Holly Aho, Andi (Andi's World), MaryAnn (Soldiers' Angels Germany)ArmyWifeToddlerMom, Carla (SomeSoldiersMom), Laurie (Soldiers' Angels New York), Capt. B (One Marine's View), John of Argghhh, FbL (Fuzzilicious Thinking); Stacy (Keep My Soldier Safe), David G (Reverse Retina), David M. (The Thunder Run), the Friday-night-kilt-sporting Taco (Sandgram), and others.

Holly and I discovered that all grills are not alike. How the heck can you call a place a grill and serve absolutely no - repeat no- hamburgers? There oughta be a law...

One of the nicest things about the conference was the sense of community. There was a real sense of belonging at the conference, with small blogs just as welcome as larger blogs.

And the panel discussions were wonderful. Covering topics like MSM coverage (or lack thereof), OPSEC concerns, cathartic value of a blog, and the growing importance of blogs in the news community, the panelists were knowledgeable, and entertaining. I was suprised at just how quickly the day went by.

One of the highlights for me was when Capt. B was speaking of the difference between how the MSM covered a story, and what happened. He talked about a terrorist who killed his own nephew in an attempt to shoot U.S. troops - because his nephew happened to be standing between him and his targets. Casualties in that incident were covered, but there was no mention of the fact that a terrorist was willing to kill his own family to get to our Heroes.

Other hightlights were the comments by two Iraqis, one of whom was a Kurd. Both noted that the American presence was a positive - and they were grateful. One cited the need for American assistance "forever." He noted that under Saddam, women were "like slaves." He said that before the Americans came, the Iraqis were not able to breathe free, and were "not human."

We also learned about The War Tapes. Premiering at the Tribeca film festival this weekend, and then bound for a general release, this is one you won't want to miss. It's filmed entirely by troops in the field.

Andi and all those who worked on the logistics of the conference deserve one tremendous HOOAHH. Check-in went smoothly, and we had internet access to allow for live blogging and participation in the chat. The buffet luncheon at the JurysDoyle was top-notch, too.

A couple of other things learned at the conference -

- Marines are pretty darned good at giving the MSM heck.

- what Taco wears (or doesn't) under his kilt


The trip home was less than stellar, but that's a story for another post.